North Carolina

North Carolina Growers Embrace Resilience Amid Extreme Drought, Spring Heat

Mon, 11 May 2026 00:22:06 GMT

Farmers in North Carolina are facing an uphill battle this spring as a severe drought combined with unseasonable heat has stunted early-season specialty crops from brassicas to berries.

As of early May, North Carolina was experiencing severe agricultural distress, with approximately 67 counties under extreme drought conditions and record-breaking dryness impacting 96% of the Southeast.

“These conditions are becoming quite apparent on our farms, with retention ponds getting extremely low, cracks in the soil, difficulty preparing land for summer production and reduced yields on many spring crops,” says Taylor Holenbeck, grower services coordinator for the Durham, N.C.-based Happy Dirt, a farmer-owned distributor of organic produce, specializing in connecting Southeast regional farmers with retailers and food hubs.

Spring greens have been hit particularly hard, says Holenbeck.

“One farm is seeing half the average yield on their broccolini crop, while others are seeing extremely slow growth on kales, collards, cabbage and other brassicas,” he says.

In the eastern part of the state, drought conditions and unseasonably hot temperatures that repeatedly reached the 90s during April have increased pest pressures in the area.

“Without the rain to help wash pest eggs off the crops, this has led to large hatchings of diamondback moths, compromising many of the tender spring greens,” he says.

Holenbeck says a number of Happy Dirt farms are behind on their spring plantings, with some delayed by at least two weeks due to dry conditions.

And it’s not only what’s already in the ground that struggles in drought conditions, says Holenbeck, who notes that preparing new beds when soil is extremely dry is also a challenge.

“Some farms are having to overhead water their land just to be able to prep beds, which is not how you want to be using your precious water resources in a drought,” he says.

Severe drought conditions in parts of North Carolina, like here at Randy Massey’s M&M Plant Farms, have led to retention ponds getting extremely low, cracks in the soil, difficulty preparing land for summer production, and reduced yields on many spring crops, says Taylor Holenbeck, grower services coordinator for the Durham, N.C.-based Happy Dirt.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Dirt)

‘Fast and Furious’ Strawberries

Weather conditions have also impacted the state’s strawberry production.

“Our strawberry season has been stunted as well, although this is due to not only drought, but [rather] the large swings in temperature this spring, causing the plants to be more vegetative rather than producing a lot of fruit consistently,” says Holenbeck.

Austin Hirsch, a strawberry farmer in Catawba, N.C., told AgDay’s Haley Bickelhaupt that while ripening usually takes a few weeks, in this year’s drought, it’s been “fast and furious.”

“The biggest challenge is trying to keep up with harvest,” says Hirsch of Bumble Berry Farms. The first-generation farmer says a hard winter followed by a warm week in early April accelerated picking of the farm’s early-season variety, which began April 8.

“We went out there maybe five or six days later, and the whole field was red … I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Hirsch.

Bumble Berry Farms grows five varieties of strawberries, all of which have been impacted by drought, he says.

But one silver lining for Hirsch has been sweeter berries.

“The conditions raise the sugar levels,” he says.

Bumble Berry Farms estimates it strawberry crop yields were about 50% of normal this season and is now turning its attention to its blackberry crop.

But Happy Dirt’s Holenbeck remains optimistic that there’s still time for some North Carolina strawberries.

“We still have the month of May to have a great strawberry season,” he says. “And so far, the sweet corn and summer squash crops are doing OK but will need rain soon.”

Altar Cross Farms’ Morgan Sykes and father Roy Sykes survey their North Carolina blueberry crop.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Dirt)

Blueberries in the Balance

Altar Cross Farms, a family-run organic blueberry farm in Ivanhoe, N.C., which tends more than 100 acres of certified organic blueberries between its own 40 acres and a lease on an additional 65 acres, says it’s managing the unusually dry conditions through strategic irrigation and a watchful eye on the weather.

“This has been a particularly dry start to the season, which is a change from what we typically see this time of year,” says Morgan Sykes, sales and packing manager for Altar Cross Farms and daughter of the farm’s owners, Roy and Donna Sykes. “We have been having to use our irrigation a lot more this year starting with the spring freezes to now this extreme dry weather.

“We are very blessed to have the irrigation system that we do, but nothing is as good as the natural rain,” she adds.

On the family’s 40 acres, they conserve as much water as possible using a ditching system connected to catch basins at the end of each row to flow the water back into its pond.

“Even with that, our pond is about 4 feet lower than what it should be,” she says.

On the farm’s leased acres, the pond system requires they pump water from a well into the pond, which costs more because it has to be hooked up to a generator, she says.

But a dryer blueberry growing season does have some benefits, says Sykes.

“The quality of blueberries on a dryish year are a little better because you really don’t have to worry as much about soft fruit,” she says. “It will impact the size of the berry; they will maybe not be as big. That is where we will be utilizing our irrigation to try and plump them up.”

Overall, Sykes says things are shaping up to be a “really good year.”

“We packed the highest number of berries we ever had last year,” she says. “This year we are hoping to do even more, [as] we have a few more fields that are just coming into production now.”

Sykes says this time of year usually presents the opposite weather problem — too much precipitation. To address this, Altar Cross Farms has planted varieties that can tolerate more water and still remain firm.

“We have some O’Neals that are drought tolerant, but if they get a little rain, they are bad about splitting,” she says.

While the family had been planning to move away from the variety as a result, this year, it looks as though they’ll be able to pack more of them.

“All of our other berries we are just having to keep an eye on and irrigate them to help the berries grow and size up,” she says. “We are praying for rain. We just don’t want it all at one time.”

Rising Input Costs vs. Market Realities

In North Carolina, the dust is rising just as fast as the overhead. While drought conditions have forced farmers to rely heavily on irrigation, global conflicts have driven diesel prices up by nearly 50%, making the cost of watering particularly steep.

Holenbeck says while irrigation methods vary widely from farm to farm in North Carolina, those that use diesel “are definitely feeling the effects of high prices.”

Soaring prices, not only for farms to run their irrigation pumps but also to operate tractors and on shipping costs for fertilizers and packaging, are putting a squeeze on the season.

“Higher fuel costs impact everything, down to the cost of the petroleum-based plastic used for mulch and clamshells that we pack small fruit into,” he says. “Unfortunately, our farmers are beholden to market pricing, so we are looking at the high end of pricing on each crop but have to balance being too high, otherwise sales slow, and that’s worse for the farms.

“Just because there is a drought here, doesn’t mean that the market isn’t low in other regions, so it’s a tricky balance,” he continues.

Farming for North Carolina’s Future

In the face of these soaring operational costs and a volatile climate, North Carolina’s specialty crop growers are no longer just reacting to the weather — they’re striving to outsmart it. By shifting toward heat-tolerant varieties they aim to transform drought from a seasonal crisis into a catalyst for long-term agricultural innovation.

“[The development of drought-resistant varieties] should be top of mind for both farmers and consumers, and there are some great initiatives in our region working toward more drought-resistant crops,” says Holenbeck, who says he’s never had more farmers ask him if they could grow okra for Happy Dirt than this year.

“Okra is a great example of a drought-tolerant crop, but unfortunately the market demand doesn’t match its utility for the farmers — yet,” he says. “Happy Dirt sees it as part of our work to help educate customers on what crops thrive in our increasingly warm climate in the South and why it’s important for consumers to learn how to integrate those fruits and vegetables into their diets.”

Holenbeck says Happy Dirt is looking to seed breeders to help Southeastern growers with more heat-tolerant varieties of vegetables.

“From lettuce to tomatoes, there are more and more heat-tolerant varieties available, which is giving our farmers the ability to stretch seasons and grow more of what eaters want locally,” he says. “This year we are implementing broccoli trials on two of our farms to observe which varieties do best in our quickly warming springs, and so far, despite the drought, we have seen some great results and plan to scale broccoli production if the varieties continue to perform.”

Happy Dirt says it has also conducted some smaller trials with regionally adapted varieties of butternut squash from Common Wealth Seed Growers and okra from Utopian Seed Project. This year it is also trialing and saving seeds from a specific okra variety grown by the Freed Seed Federation.

“All this seed work is important for farmers to be able to adapt over time and focus on what grows well here,” says Holenbeck. “We also see increased customer demand for the organic small fruit category, many of which are grown perennially, such as Asian persimmons, blackberries, figs, muscadines and blueberries to name a few. Due to the perennial nature of these crops, they can provide more resiliency to extreme weather and are a category that we plan to grow more of with our farmers.”

And when it comes to preventive measures, Holenbeck says one of the best things farmers can do is keep their soil consistently covered with cash crops and cover crops to help retain moisture and reduce erosion when there’s heavy rain.

“This effort pays off slowly, but as we face more erratic weather patterns, these types of practices become increasingly important,” he says. “We can’t fight nature, but we can try to learn from it and mimic it.”

N.C. Sweetpotato Volume Set to Rebound

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 23:07:02 GMT

North Carolina sweetpotato growers expect their 2025 production to be back into the normal range after a challenging weather year in 2024.

The state harvested about 13 million hundredweight (cwt) of sweetpotatoes in 2024, down from 15 million cwt in 2023, according to USDA. However, harvested acreage rose from 76,900 to 86,500.

Nash Produce

Nashville, N.C.-based Nash Produce kicked off its harvest the third week of September, about a month earlier than usual, to try to make up for the shortfall, says Robin Narron, marketing director.

“We had to have some growers plant early and start harvesting early so that we didn’t run out of potatoes,” she says.

Narron says Hurricane Helene and other weather issues brought on the sweetpotato shortage. As of late September, this year’s harvest was progressing well.

“Right now, the quality looks great,” she says. “It’s been pretty dry, and we definitely could use a little rain right now, but aside from that, we’ve had no major weather issues that have impacted the crop this year.”

The company has increased its murasaki sweetpotato acreage in response to rising demand, she says. Covington acreage will remain steady.

Sweetpotato prices have come down this year as availability improves, Narron adds, “but we’re trying to stay strong and get a premium price for our premium product.”

The sweetpotato crop looks good this fall at Farm Pak Products, Spring Hope, N.C., says Jacy Barnes Clapp, who handles marketing. Early sweetpotatoes will be a bit smaller than usual, but they should size up as the harvest continues, she says.

(Photo courtesy of Farm Pak Products)

Farm Pak Products

The sweetpotato crop also looks good at Farm Pak Products, Spring Hope, N.C., says Jacy Barnes Clapp, who handles marketing.

Early sweetpotatoes will be a bit smaller than usual, but they should size up as the harvest continues, she says.

Farm Pak Products recently launched a new brand of conventional and organic microwaveable sweetpotatoes — Francie’s Finest — available in 3- and 5-pound bags, Barnes Clapp says.

And the company is in its third year offering the Purple Splendor variety.

Purple Splendor gained popularity with the launch of “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,” a Netflix series in which author Dan Buettner discovers five unique communities where people are said to live extraordinarily long, vibrant lives.

“More than 70% of the carbs people consume in the Okinawa Blue Zones come from sweetpotatoes,” Barnes Clapp says.

The company also grows the Covington and murasaki varieties. About 10% of the firm’s sweetpotatoes are organically grown.

Scott Farms

Scott Farms, Lucama, N.C., has focused on getting into fields earlier than usual this year because of the short crop in 2024, says Lindsey Scott Abraham, account manager.

“Our team put in a lot of effort to make sure we were prepared, and that allowed us to get the harvest started ahead of our usual schedule,” she says.

Quality has been good so far.

“The crop has come in with strong color, consistent sizing and smooth skin, which are all great indicators for a successful season,” Scott Abraham says.

Scott Farms ships its handpicked sweetpotatoes year-round.

“We know that sweetpotatoes have become a staple in everyday meals,” she says. “Our goal is to keep a steady supply of high-quality sweetpotatoes moving from our fields to our customers’ tables throughout the entire year.”

Sweetpotatoes and sweetpotato fries are becoming foodservice favorites as well, Scott Abraham says.

“It feels like sweetpotato fries have gone from being a specialty side dish you could only find in certain places to a common option on menus everywhere,” she says.

“I love seeing them as a healthier and tastier alternative to regular fries, and it’s fun to see chefs get creative with seasonings, dips and even using sweet potatoes in other dishes like bowls and tacos,” Scott Abraham adds.

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:50:12 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

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North Carolina’s Altar Cross Farms Expands Organic Blueberry Production by 63%

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 13:01:19 GMT

For Altar Cross Farms, a family-run organic blueberry farm in Ivanhoe, N.C., the time was right to expand. Driven by growing demand from both national and local retailers for its organic berries, the family expanded production by 63% this year and is now harvesting from 65 certified organic acres.

“We own 40 acres of organic blueberries, but this is our first year with expanded acreage,” says Roy Sykes, owner of Altar Cross Farms. “We had the opportunity to lease 65 acres from a neighboring organic farm, which was a huge blessing. To be able to grow that much in such a short amount of time, and right when demand was picking up, just felt like the right thing falling into place at the right time.”

This season marked the most productive blueberry crop Altar Cross Farms has had in five years, says Sykes, who co-owns the farm with his wife, Donna Sykes, and operates it with their daughters.

Altar Cross Farms grows organic blueberries.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Dirt)

“Several factors helped with the crop this year, like a really cold winter and no hard spring freezes,” says Sykes. “The early rain hurt some of our early varieties a bit, but it didn’t put a dent in overall production. Honestly, our blueberry crop on our personal 40 acres alone would’ve been extremely robust with the weather we had, so with 65 acres, you can only imagine how strong the season has been.”

The farm’s location in eastern North Carolina is also prime for blueberry production, says Sykes.

“One of the main reasons North Carolina, especially eastern North Carolina, is such a good place to grow blueberries is the soil,” he says. “We’ve got sandy, acidic soil here — exactly what blueberries like. You don’t see a whole lot of blueberries grown farther west because the soil just isn’t right for it. You can amend the soil and make it work, sure, but that adds cost. Then you’re competing with folks who can just stick plants in the ground and let them go, while you’re out there trying to fix the soil first.”

Altar Cross Farms’ expansion was also bolstered by an investment in mechanical upgrades that contributed to its success this season.

Altar Cross Farms has made investments in equipment.

(Photo courtesy of Happy Dirt)

“We’ve made a lot of upgrades to our packing line over the last couple of years that have really helped us work more efficiently,” says Morgan Sykes, Altar Cross Farms sales and packing manager and Roy Sykes’ daughter. “In 2022, we invested in a color sorter that pulls out anything that’s not the right shade for a ripe blueberry, which has made grading so much simpler. We also added an automatic clamshell filler and a labeler, and both have cut down a lot on the time and cost it used to take to pack and hand-label everything.”

Happy Dirt Helps Expand Network

Happy Dirt, a North Carolina-based organic produce grower and distributor, handles the majority of Altar Cross Farms’ sales, helping the Sykes family bring their organic berries to a wide network of wholesale and retail partners across the Southeast.

“In 2024, we saw a noticeable uptick in demand specifically for North Carolina–grown organic blueberries, which mirrors the national trend toward increased interest in organic berries overall,” says Alex Borst, Happy Dirt purchasing manager. “You can find Happy Dirt organic blueberries, grown by Altar Cross Farms, up and down the East Coast.

“We’re always working to develop new customer outlets because we know demand will continue to rise,” Borst continues. “From May through August, we’re proud to meet that need with blueberries from farmer-partners like Altar Cross, especially when the crop looks as good as it does this year.”

Altar Cross Farms is planted with a diverse varietal mix, including O’Neal, Duke, Legacy, New Hanover and Powder Blue to supports a harvest window stretching from mid-May through August.

Fair Food Certification

Altar Cross Farms also recently became Fair Food Program certified. The Fair Food Program is a partnership among farmers, farmworkers and retail companies that seeks to ensure humane wages and working conditions.

“When Happy Dirt brought it up to us, it just sounded like a really good fit,” says Morgan Sykes of the program. “It’s mostly just our family working here, but we have other folks who help out as well. And the whole idea behind Fair Food Certification, which is treating your workers right and making sure folks are taken care of, that’s already how we do things. So, it just made sense. It felt like a natural step for us, especially as we continue to grow.”

But despite the operation’s growth, Morgan Sykes says the family remains rooted in its founding values.

“We’re still mostly family doing this,” she says. “We’ve built the infrastructure to scale but kept our values the same.”

Specialty Crop Organizations Push for AEWR Transparency

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:00:31 GMT

Specialty crop groups in five states have come together to file a freedom of information request with the USDA to better understand how the agency calculates the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) that determines the minimum wages in each state for the H-2A guestworker program.

The effort is led by the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission (NCSC) and the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), whose members have faced sharp increases in AEWR in the last few years.

Chris Butts, executive vice president of GFVGA, says Georgia growers have seen a total of 31% in increases in AEWR during the last three years. And Michelle Grainger, executive director of NCSC, says growers in her state have seen an 18% rise in AEWR in the last three years.

“Any way you look at it and slice it, this has been a very challenging situation, and as our growers are continually faced with economic pressures for all their other input costs, to have over 40% of their balance sheets tied up in labor and not be able to know what that labor cost is going to be until mid-November, it’s hard to run a business that way as their first workers typically arrive in early February to the farm,” she says. “To not have transparency of how the [AEWR] algorithm is utilized to create a budget on what feels like very arbitrary rates that are sprinkled across the nation at different regions that don’t even make sense. Enough is enough.”

Butts says changes to Georgia’s immigration policy in the 2010s means specialty crop growers in the state utilize the H-2A program exclusively to meet labor needs.

“In the southeast, there is no fruit and vegetable production without the H-2A program because there is no other labor pool there,” he says. “A Vidalia onion is touched by hand six times during the planting through the harvest — the same for blueberry production, citrus production. Our growing industries are reliant on [H-2A labor], and until we develop technology for mechanization and automation to help our workers become efficient, we’re relying on this program.”

Granger agrees, noting sweetpotatoes are a labor-intensive crop, so mechanization is not a possibility for her growers.

“Any sweetpotato grower cannot have fresh sweetpotatoes on the market without hand-harvesting,” she says. “We also utilize labor to transplant. The crop that we have is labor-intensive from the moment we start growing seed, whether that be in the greenhouse or in a bedding field, to the moment it almost hits the truck on a case that’s going retail, food service, a consumer’s plate, etc.”

So far, the organizations that have signed on to the coalition include:

Alabama Farmers Federation
Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association
Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association
Blue Ridge Apple Growers Association
Georgia Agribusiness Council
Georgia Berry Exchange
Georgia Farm Bureau
Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association
Georgia Green Industry Association
Georgia Peach Council
Georgia Pecan Growers Association
Georgia Watermelon Association
International Fresh Produce Association
National Council of Agricultural Employers
North Carolina Apple Growers Association
North Carolina Chamber
North Carolina Christmas Tree Association
North Carolina Farm Bureau
North Carolina Growers Association
North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association
North Carolina Strawberry Association
North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission
North Carolina Tomato Growers Association
North Carolina Vegetable Growers Association
North Carolina Watermelon Association
Michigan Asparagus Association
South Carolina Farm Bureau
South Carolina Peach Council
South Carolina Small Fruit Growers Association
Tobacco Growers Association of North Carolina

Granger and Butts say the coalition has communicated with representatives in Washington, D.C., to voice concerns about the rising AEWR rate and possibilities for ag labor reform. Granger says the diversity of the specialty crops helps drive home the need for changes.

“Our elected officials, regardless of what side of the aisle they may sit on, appreciate the value of agriculture and they appreciate that North Carolina is a state that has a lot of specialty crops,” she says. “Our coalition, when we filed — it has since grown — it was 30 organizations representing five states and 13 unique different crops, as well as eight different state and national member advocacy groups. That diversity really excited our representatives in Congress, because it gave them something more to talk about.”

Granger says a great way for those in the fresh produce industry to help communicate the coalition’s concerns is quite simple. Communicate with elected officials and community members about the vital role that agriculture has in this country.

“There’s a lot of people that we interact with, who don’t quite grasp how reliant we are on labor,” she says. “Not all of these people are not that terribly far removed from agriculture. I’m constantly amazed, but I patiently provide information and education on how uneducated the American consumer is today about what it takes to have fresh food, quality food, safe food and affordable food on their plate. It doesn’t magically just show up at the grocery store.”

Butts says another way for those in the fresh produce industry can help elevate this cause is to get involved.

“If they’re not a member of that state or local organization that signs on the support coalition, join your organization and support them,” he says. “Then ask your regional organization, ‘What are you doing for these efforts, and how can we participate?’”

Land of opportunity: Carolina growers thrive with diverse crops and conditions

Mon, 19 May 2025 21:06:52 GMT

The Carolinas are unique states for growing fresh produce. The region represents a lot of climate and topographical diversity in a small space. Whether north or south, this diversity forces growers to be creative, adaptable and future-focused to meet evolving consumer demands in the face of sometimes unforgiving settings.

North Carolina boasts several high ranks across different types of fresh produce. It is the nation’s top producer of sweetpotatoes, its official state vegetable, for example. According to 2023 cash receipts (most recent complete USDA data), the state ranked fifth in the nation for blueberries, fresh and processing cucumbers and peanuts; sixth in the nation for other cucumbers, bell peppers and pumpkins; and seventh in the nation for squash and watermelons.

The state’s success with many different produce owes a lot to its physical variety.

“North Carolina is so fortunate and blessed that we have so many different topographies and soil types, as well as climate zones, in our singular state,” said Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.

Producers use this variety to their benefit. The folks at Happy Dirt, a produce distribution company with 16 farmer owners across the state, gave the example of their lettuce farms distributed across the state for strategic purposes.

“We’ve been utilizing the topography of having some mountain farms to extend our season,” said Alex Borst, purchasing manager for Happy Dirt. “We’ve got a good, solid, late-April-to-mid-June lettuce program now.”

South Carolina peaches benefit from having adequate chill hours, the conditions for which emerge with the state’s hot, humid summers and cool winters with a lot of moisture in the air, says Blakely Atkinson, executive director of the South Carolina Peach Council.

(Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Department of Agriculture)

Not to be outdone, South Carolinian growers take pride in the variety their state brings to the southeast.

“We are a small state, but we do so much,” said Eva Moore, communications director for the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, adding that the state has a broad produce portfolio. “And, of course, we’re the ‘Tastier Peach State.’”

In 2023, South Carolina was second in the nation for peaches, sixth for peanuts and eighth for watermelons. That said, the state also grows crops rarely tracked by USDA, such as turnip greens and collards.

The South Carolinian claim of being the tastier peach state stems from its unique climate. Blakely Atkinson, executive director of the South Carolina Peach Council, explained that peach trees need a certain number of chill hours to set fruit and heat to make that fruit sweet. South Carolina gets that, she said, with hot, humid summers and cool winters with a lot of moisture in the air.

Weather woes add up

Produce growers in the Carolinas have been hard-hit lately from a series of extreme weather events. For example, those cold winters needed for peach setting went a bit overboard in 2023 when a late-season cold snap resulted in 70% crop loss.

“That was the state estimation loss,” Atkinson said. “Some people were able to squeak by, but some were hit worse. One of my growers had a 99% crop loss.”

Last year also saw some extreme weather events that greatly affected Carolina producers. Grainger called it a brutal year.

“North Carolina was just battered from the mountains to the sea and everywhere in between,” she said, explaining that right after the sweetpotato crop was transplanted, the state got hit with drought.

“Then we had three storms: Hurricane Debbie, Tropical Cyclone Eight and the tail end of Hurricane Helene,” Grainger said. “We had all the conditions that you could possibly have between the months of June and November, and it netted us a loss of anywhere between 40% to 45% of yield.”

Sim McIver, assistant director of domestic marketing at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, estimated 2024’s extreme weather cost North Carolina agriculture $5 billion. The disasters wiped out fields and destroyed infrastructure throughout the state.

Some operations were relatively lucky, however. Tendwell Farm co-owner Steven Beltram said that its packing shed was spared. While the company had a lot of equipment damage, it was repairable. The roads and bridges are back in place in the area, and tractor trailers can get in and out of the packing house again.

“We were very fortunate in that none of our fields were permanently damaged,” Beltram said.

North Carolina’s diversity in topography, soil and climate benefit growing areas throughout the state. “We’ve been utilizing the topography of having some mountain farms to extend our season,” said Alex Borst, purchasing manager for Happy Dirt. “We’ve got a good, solid, late-April to mid-June lettuce program now.”

(Photo courtesy of Happy Dirt)

Diverse varieties, growing methods

The increased demand for more variety, be that new crops, new growing styles or new varieties of familiar crops, and growers rising to meet that demand was a constant thread across the Carolinas.

“We are seeing producers investing in produce, putting their energy there and diversifying,” Moore said.

She highlighted that vegetable acreage in South Carolina expanded dramatically since the last Census of Agriculture. Taylor Holenbeck, grower services coordinator for Happy Dirt, said there has been a movement in growing organic vegetables in the South, in general.

But the trend for more diversity isn’t just relegated to vegetables. Both McIver and Moore noted growth in berry interest, strawberries specifically in North Carolina and berries overall in South Carolina.

“Berry sales by South Carolina producers more than tripled between 2017 and 2022, from $13 million to $44.3 million,” Moore explained, adding that a group of growers recently founded the South Carolina Small Fruit Growers Association. “Some of our large farms have been adding small fruit to diversify.”

Several of the groups The Packer spoke to highlighted plans for expanding into new crops or expanding existing variety due to increased demand. The farms that Happy Dirt works with planted more acres of organic strawberries this year, for example. Holenbeck said the company is working with smaller farms to grow specialty eggplant, cherry tomatoes and specialty peppers.

“We’re just trying to really up our specialty game with our smaller farms so our larger farms can crank out the volume items we need,” Holenbeck said. “We’re increasing acreage in micro ways on these smaller, hyperspecialty products. That’s been really exciting.”

Consumer interest in new varieties of familiar crops has been strong lately in the Carolinas as well. Interest in sweetpotato varieties is growing, for example, especially for the purple-skinned, white-fleshed murasaki varietal.

Grainger said this push for different varieties started in the culinary world, then got picked up by social media influencers. She also cited the impact of the Netflix’s series “The Blue Zone,” which focused on areas of the world where populations live exceptionally long lives.

“The very first episode of this series was in Japan and within the first few minutes of that episode they were talking about the purple sweetpotato,” she said. “The individuals being interviewed expressed how important that sweetpotato is to their daily diet and they were attributing their longevity to it.”

Sweetpotatoes aren’t the only crop with growing varietal interest from consumers. Atkinson noted that consumers are also inquiring more about different peach varieties.

“We live in a society that is constantly wanting to learn, and consumers are really concerned about where their food is coming from,” she said. “So, they are asking questions and want to be educated on their food, and that’s great.”

A focus on sustainable produce

Expanding into new crops and new varieties aren’t the only ways Carolina growers are trying to serve their consumers better. New, different and more sustainable packaging that caters to customer needs was a frequently cited trend.

“Simplicity and affordability are huge with today’s consumers,” said McIver. “Simple recipes and affordable price options; pre-cut, ready-to -eat produce is gaining popularity. Any kind of value-added time-savers.”

The Nashville, N.C.-based fresh produce packer, shipper and marketer Nash Produce aims to meet those convenience needs.

“That’s where some of these new packaging strategies come in handy,” said Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for Nash Produce. “For example, if you have a family of two, it’s easy to just grab two sweetpotatoes. But if you have a family of four, you can grab our 4-pack. You don’t have to sort through the bulk bin and worry about different cook times because ours are electronically sized to be as consistent as possible.”

Narron said the company strives to cater to the needs of its customers, be they the end consumer or retail customers.

“We have to do what’s popular in different areas. In some regions, for example, the larger sweetpotatoes are more popular, while in other areas, the smaller size are more popular,” she said. “So, we try to deliver whatever our customer base needs. If it’s something that we don’t have, we try to innovate something that would work for them.”

For Happy Dirt, changes in the way it packages its sweetpotatoes have not only served its customers but also its growers.

“Over the past couple of years, we’ve really worked on our packaged sweetpotato program. Our 3-pound bags have been really successful,” Holenbeck said. “It’s
really helped our farmers, because they can put their smaller potatoes in those bags. Before, they would often just leave them in the field and not even pick them up because they couldn’t sell them. So, we’ve created, not necessarily a new market, but a new market for our farmers.”

Making better use of a harvest through packaging strategies is one way to improve sustainability. Some groups reported addressing sustainability issues directly with packaging, however.

“At Nash Produce, we are constantly working on sustainability projects,” said Narron. Part of this is innovation with packaging materials. “We’re trying to branch out into more eco-friendly packaging materials. Trying to get away from Styrofoam trays and trying to bring in more disposable or biodegradable packaging materials.”

Beltram observed another interesting sustainability-minded trend in his area among his neighbors.

“I don’t know if it’s on account of what we’re doing, but over the past 15 years, a lot of the conventional growers starting to incorporate sustainable practices,” he said.

Beltram said he’s started seeing a lot of conventional growers in his area starting to incorporate cover crops, something the all-organic Tendwell is proud of.

He also spoke about a different sustainability issue: the continuation of agriculture in the area. With Tendwell being a first-generation farm, this is a near-and-dear issue.

“Here in the mountains you see a lot of older folks who have been doing what they’re doing for a long time. As they’re starting to age out and they’re doing less farming, there’s not much of a new generation coming on,” he said. “So, we have a lot of really supportive neighbors. They are really happy about what we’re doing.”

Tendwell Farm has found that increased diversity of crops helps them meet consumer’s evolving demands.

(Photo courtesy of Tendwell Farm)

A look to the future

Tendwell is installing an optical sorter to speed up tomato sorting this summer.

“So, that should give our grape tomato pack a little more uniformity as far as sizing and color goes,” Beltram said. “We’re pretty excited about putting that machine in place this summer.”

Happy Dirt is also looking forward to infrastructure changes at its farms.

Borst said the company has been conducting trials on high and low tunnels. The trials have suggested ways tunnels can be used to mitigate the threats of disease and weather, extending their seasons on various specialty crops and increasing the consistency of the crops, said Holenbeck, adding that increasing infrastructure at the farms is a goal this summer.

For South Carolina peaches, the near future will mean spreading the goodness.

“New this year is the expansion of exports,” Atkinson said. “One of our larger farms has already been exporting to Mexico, but there has been expansion this year, and I think that is something that is pretty exciting.”

She added that expansion of export into Canada was also something the South Carolina peach industry is working on. “We’re already up there, but to say that we’re still growing is really something.”

South Carolina at large has also been working on recent and new efforts to connect local growers with consumers. Moore noted the recently launched Certified South Carolina Showcase, which just held its third annual event in late March.

“It grew out of a smaller effort to get growers and buyers in the same room, but we expanded it, and now it’s held at the big convention center here in Columbia,” she said. “It’s producers who are part of our big Certified South Carolina branding program, and they exhibit trade-show style.”

She also said the state is working on a portal for school food authorities to find and connect with local producers.

“Farms and producers that are looking to scale up and be able to serve markets in their communities often are interested in working with schools, so we are going to have an interface where that can happen,” Moore said. “It will be a portal where producers and distributors can list what they have available and their contact information, and on the other side school food authorities can make those connections.”

In both Carolinas, the emphasis on growing research is strong.

“Historically, the South has been largely ignored when it comes to developing varieties for our climate specifically,” Holenbeck explained. That has changed recently with the growing demand for growing produce, especially organic produce, in the southeast.”

“One of the reasons why North Carolina is as strong as we are in sweetpotato production is because of our growers and their close relationship with the research institutions,” Grainger said. She pointed to work at institutions such as North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T, the University of Mount Olive and across the Cooperative Extension System.

“North Carolina has an incredible Cooperative Extension Program that spans our entire state; all 100 counties have an office,” she said. “Our growers work side by side with individuals from each of these institutions, and they adopt research, they provide facilities and work with those who are trying to promote and progress the industry.”

Research efforts, both public and in private companies, are strong in South Carolina as well to find varieties that work for the state’s climate, Moore said, pointing to examples of heat-tolerant butter beans and peach varieties that can withstand the warmer weather of summers in the South.

“The climate here is, for lack of a better word, very volatile,” Holenbeck said. “To be adaptable within that is very important for our farmers and the longevity and sustainability of growing in the southeast.”

States put the spotlight on sweetpotatoes

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 17:26:04 GMT

Sweetpotato councils and commissions across the country go all out to tout their favorite vegetable. Here’s a look at what some of them are up to:

Moving plates in Mississippi

Fans of Mississippi sweetpotatoes will be able to promote the spuds literally everywhere they go thanks to the Vardaman-based Mississippi Sweetpotato Council and a little help from the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicles.

Special vehicle license plates should be available by summer and will sport the Mississippi sweetpotato logo and show the council’s website — MSSweetpotato.org — in addition to the vehicle license number, said Caleb Englert, council president and president of the U.S. Sweetpotato Council.

The Vardaman-based Mississippi Sweetpotato Council, with a little help from the Mississippi Department of Motor Vehicles, has come up with a special vehicle license plate that will feature the Mississippi sweetpotato logo and show the council’s website in addition to vehicle license number, says Caleb Englert, council president.

(Photo courtesy of Mississippi Sweetpotato Council)

The council had to arrange for the presale of 300 plates in order to have the specialty tags added to the state’s license plate offerings, he said. A portion of the fees charged for the plates will go to the council to promote sweetpotatoes.

Englert expects the special plates to catch on among the driving public.

“Once people see them, they will be all for them,” he said. “It’s definitely going to help support the industry.”

The council also was able to use funds from a USDA specialty crop marketing grant to sponsor Sweetpotato Day, complete with radio and TV support, at a Mississippi State University baseball game in Starkville.

The grant supported Mississippi sweetpotato billboards for four weeks in Atlanta, Houston and Chicago and a wrapped 18-wheeler used to haul sweetpotatoes as well.

The council also is finishing work on a documentary explaining how sweetpotatoes are grown. It will be shown on social media starting this summer.

The Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission encourages consumers to add sweetpotatoes to the state’s popular seafood and crawfish boils, says Rene Simon, director.

(Photo courtesy of Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission)

Crawfish nosh in Louisiana

Spring is a big time for crawfish boils and seafood boils, and the Baton Rouge-based Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission continues to encourage consumers to add the vegetables to the ever-popular boils at this time every year, said Rene Simon, director.

White potatoes are the usual tuber of choice for the mealtime favorites, but Simon hopes that may be changing.

“It’s taking a while to catch on, but we’re seeing more people adding sweetpotatoes to their crawfish boils and their seafood boils,” he said.

Sweetpotato are a good fit for the boils, which are generally fairly spicy.

“The boils have salt, pepper and other flavoring that adds to the savoriness,” he said.

But sweetpotatoes add sweetness and a different flavor.

“They break the saltiness and the seasoning a little bit,” he said.

The Louisiana crawfish has been popular for generations, Simon said. And though the sweetpotato promotion started 10 years ago, it has really taken off over the past two or three years and continues to grow in popularity.

“It gives our farmers another way to market the smaller potatoes that might not be able to make the store shelves,” he said.

The commission supports Louisiana’s 6,000 acres of sweetpotatoes with TV and online advertising, some of which specifically promotes the boils.

While spring is the most popular time of year for crawfish and seafood boils, crab and shrimp boils are just as good and flavorful during the summer, Simon said.

The Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission’s 2025 marketing program includes a mix of influencer marketing, social media, cooking classes, recipe development, media coverage, trade/consumer advertising, sponsorships, TV segments and more, says Michelle Grainger, executive director.

(Photo courtesy of North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission)

Influencers loose in North Carolina

“The North Carolina 2025 marketing program includes a mix of influencer marketing, social media, cooking classes, recipe development, media coverage, trade/consumer advertising, sponsorships, TV segments and more,” said Michelle Grainger, executive director of the Benson-based North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission.

The commission has partnered with five creators and four recipe developers who have attracted 2,574,330 followers, Grainger said.

“The goal is to cater towards certain demographics by having mothers, dietitians and nutritionists share their knowledge on the health benefits of North Carolina sweetpotatoes through recipe and educational content,” she said.

Cooking classes are held to help consumers to learn new recipes at home, and renowned nutrition experts have become partners in TV segments on KCTV, Al Borde Del Abismo and ABC, she said.

A farming influencer will visit North Carolina sweetpotato farms, packinghouses and the Horticultural Crops Research Station at Clinton this spring.

“Content will be created in the form of YouTube videos, Instagram and Facebook reels to be featured on NC Sweetpotato social media pages,” she said.

The commission also is working with Family Features mat syndicate to create a video/photo and an article featuring a sweetpotato beverage during the summer.

In addition, trade ads are planned in key publications and advertising is scheduled for subway ads in New York, a target market, in the spring and summer.

“It’s a tactic to get people to learn more about where their food comes from,” Grainger said.

Cutting confusion in California

The Livingston-based California Sweetpotato Council is winding down its $242,000 block grant received from the California Department of Food and Agriculture in 2022 to dispel consumer confusion about yams versus sweetpotatoes, said Jill Damskey, the council’s associate director.

The council has “done a ton of messaging,” working with several supermarket chains and independent stores and used social media to spread its message, she said.

One of the goals of the project was to tell consumers that all colors of sweetpotatoes — purple, orange, red and white — have the same nutritional benefits and can be used interchangeably in recipes, she said.

Some retailers used the council’s own pictures showing the outside flesh and inside flesh of the various potatoes.

“We feel like it’s been a good two years and a successful campaign,” Damskey said.

The promotional efforts final push of the campaign will run through April.

Sweet potatoes lead the 2022 list of top-value crops in the Carolinas

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:00:30 GMT

Sweet potatoes lead the list of top-dollar fruit and vegetable commodities in North Carolina and South Carolina, according to USDA agricultural statistics for 2022.

With fresh sales valued at $16.50 per cwt, the value of the North Carolina fresh sweet potato crop was rated at just over $164 million in 2022.

The total sweet potato crop in North Carolina, produced on 83,700 harvested acres, was valued at $225 million in 2022, according to the USDA.

Other top fruit and vegetable commodities in North Carolina were:

Blueberries: $69.7 million crop value, produced on 7,500 acres and producing 38.1 million pounds valued at $1.84 per pound.
Fresh watermelons: $56 million crop value, produced on 7,600 harvested acres at a value of $23.80 per cwt.
Cucumbers: Fresh market crop value of $9.75 million, valued at an average $45 per cwt.
Bell peppers: Total fresh and processed value of $26.9 million from 2,100 harvested acres at an average price of $74.20 per cwt.
Pumpkins: Total fresh and processed value of $16.75 million from harvested acres of 3,500 at an average value of $23.3 per cwt.
Squash: Total value of $14.96 million from harvested acreage of 3,200 and an average value $37.50 per cwt.

Top commodity values reported for South Carolina included:

Peaches: $98.5 million in crop value from harvested acreage of 15,500 acres at an average value of $1,600 per ton.
Peanuts: Crop value of $72.8 million from 68,000 harvested acres and an average value of 25.5 cents per pound.
Watermelon: Crop value of $21.4 million from 3,000 harvested acres and an average of $18.70 per cwt.

North Carolina-based marketer L&M expands to meet customers’ needs

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 17:00:30 GMT

L&M has expanded its acreage in North Carolina to accommodate growing customers’ needs, says Crystal Wells, grower support coordinator for the Raleigh, N.C.-based marketer.

For example, the company has expanded its portfolio in the past five years to include broccoli and melons, she said.

The marketer sources produce from the North Carolina coast to the mountains in the western part of the state, working with grower partners who have had relationships with L&M that span decades, Wells said.

Onions, cabbage, potatoes, watermelons, bell peppers, squash, sweet potatoes and cucumbers are just a few of the company’s important commodities from North Carolina.

In mid-May, L&M was harvesting broccoli, cabbage, and onions in eastern North Carolina. By late May, L&M will be full swing with squash, cabbage and cucumbers in the state, Wells said.

In June and July, L&M will be harvesting North Carolina bell peppers, watermelons, and colored potatoes along with other mixed vegetable items, Wells said.

Labor and rising input costs continue to be huge factors for growers, Well said, and that means automation and labor-reducing practices are trends that will have to be increasingly implemented for produce growers remain profitable and farming for generations to come, she said.

Food safety leader recognized

Charlie Meadows, L&M’s food safety manager, was selected as a participant in the 2023 International Fresh Produce Association’s Produce Safety Immersion Program. Meadows joined L&M in November 2022, Wells said.

“In his short time with us, he has travelled extensively to our farms, warehouses and packing facilities as well as meeting with our growers,” she said. “He is on track to make great contributions to strengthen our food safety program.”

Carolina peanut expectations rise in 2023

Fri, 26 May 2023 17:04:19 GMT

North Carolina and South Carolina are anything but small potatoes when it comes to peanut production.

In fact, they are two of a handful of Southern states that produce the entire U.S. peanut crop.

The USDA reported that North Carolina growers harvested 116,00 acres of peanuts in 2022, compared with 68,000 acres harvested in South Carolina.

USDA numbers show the states with the most U.S. peanut production are Georgia, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.

According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, the U.S. peanut crop in 2022 was estimated at 5.57 billion pounds.

This year, the USDA reported on April 30 that planting intentions in North Carolina totaled 130,000 acres, up 11% from 2022. For the entire U.S., the report said peanut planting intentions were 1.547 million acres, up 7% from 1.45 million acres in 2022.

The 2023 peanut crop will be harvested this fall from September through early November.

If peanut production is up, demand is up as well, said Eric Boonshaft, director of marketing for Hampton Farms , Severn, N.C.

Government reports indicate demand for in-shell peanuts produced primarily in the Carolinas is up 9.5% from August 2022 through March 2023, he said.

With a 100-year heritage, Hampton Farms has grown from a small family business to the leading roaster of in-shell peanuts, according to the company website.

Headquartered in Severn, and with additional plants in Edenton, N.C.; Franklin, Va.; Springfield, Mass.; Lubbock, Texas; and Portales, N.M., Hampton Farms roasts, packs and markets finished nut products direct to customers nationwide, the company said on its website.

North Carolina shows fresh growth in 2022 truck shipments

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:58:11 GMT

North Carolina fresh fruit and vegetable shipments rose 6% in 2022 when compared with 2021, according to USDA data.

Total North Carolina truck shipments of fresh produce commodities in 2022 totaled 1.1 billion pounds, up from 1.04 billion pounds the USDA reported in 2021.

The biggest month for North Carolina fresh produce shipments in 2022 was July, when the USDA said state’s shippers moved 305.2 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. February was the lowest month for shipments, with the USDA reporting 43.6 million pounds of produce moved that month.

The biggest fresh commodity in the state is sweet potatoes, and the USDA reported truck shipments of 494.9 million pounds for 2022, down about 6% from 524.7 million pounds in 2021. The biggest month for North Carolina sweet potato truck shipments in 2022 was April, when the state’s shippers moved 52.6 million pounds for the month.

Here are USDA reported annual truck shipments for North Carolina fresh produce items in 2022, with percentage change from 2021:

Apples: 7.3 million pounds, up 115%.
Beans: 7 million pounds, up 35%.
Blueberries: 21.2 million pounds, up 27%.
Organic blueberries: 400,000 pounds, unchanged.
Broccoli: 3.3 million pounds, up 22%.
Cabbage: 37 million pounds, up 17%.
Cucumbers: 11.4 million, up 20%.
Eggplant: 2.2 million, up 16%.
Greens: 15.4 million, up 27%.
Miscellaneous berries: 5.1 million pounds, up 19%.
Bell peppers: 33.5 million pounds, up 31%.
Other peppers: 4.8 million pounds, up 85%.
Potatoes: 14.1 million pounds, up 2%.
Chipper potatoes: 210.4 million pounds, up 12%.
Squash: 4.3 million pounds, up 5%.
Strawberries: 4.3 million pounds, down 7%.
Sweet potatoes: 494.4 million pounds, down 6%.
Tomatoes: 2.4 million pounds, down 8%.
Grape tomatoes: 300,000 pounds, down 25%.
Plum tomatoes: 500,000 pounds, up 150%.
Seeded watermelon: 9.2 million pounds, down 3%.
Seedless watermelon: 223.2 million pounds, up 24%.
State total: 1.1 billion pounds, up 6%.

Consumer education a major part of Happy Dirt marketing

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 22:22:27 GMT

The biggest highlight of the marketing campaign for Happy Dirt sweet potatoes this spring is education around the product and the growers, said Taylor Meadows, marketing coordinator for the Durham, N.C.-based marketer.

“We are working to build educational assets that our customers can use to educate their customers,” she said.

Happy Dirt seeks to communicate the story of the grower to the customers, Meadows said.

“Consumers in the local and organic space want to feel connected to the food that they are consuming,” she said. “By bridging that gap and finding a way to directly link consumers to the farms that produce the food they are consuming, we believe that this naturally increases sales.”

The company also has been working on tertiary certifications such as the Fair Food Program to highlight the significant work its grower and farmworker partners are doing to plant, grow, harvest and pack Happy Dirt sweet potatoes in a safe and just working environment for farm workers, Meadows said. “Communicating the value of the Fair Food certification to consumers through our retail partners has been a primary goal for us in 2023.”

One of Happy Dirt’s farmer owners is the first sweet potato farmer in the country to receive the Fair Food Program certification, Meadows said. The program provides a premium from each case sold that goes directly back to the farm workers on the participating farm, she said.

With the certification, a rigorous audit is conducted annually that ensures improved working conditions (for example, guaranteed protections around shade, water, bathrooms, pesticide exposure, excessive heat and other health and safety issues), educates farmworkers about their rights under the Fair Food Code of Conduct and allows farmworkers to report any issues to the Fair Food Program through the 24/7 toll-free line, she said.

“The Fair Food Program is a holistic program that benefits not only the farm workers but also benefits buyers and consumers because we all feel the positive impacts when the supply chain is secure and ethical,” Meadows said. “We are excited to build out this program with our farm partners in North Carolina and beyond in the coming years.”

Packaging update

Happy Dirt recently launched its 3-pound Happy Dirt-branded sweet potato bag, as well as a collaborative bag with a major retailer.

“The bags have been a huge hit with both our customers and our growers, as they have allowed our grower to utilize their smaller-sized sweet potatoes where in the past the farm wouldn’t even pick them up during harvest,” Meadows said. “We are happy to offer this alternative market for our farms, reducing the food waste that is so prevalent in our food system.”

In 2021, the company released its Happy Dirt-branded 40-pound organic sweet potato boxes.

“We designed them to stand out on their journey from the farm to our customers,” she said.

Related news: Easter promotions should spark sweet potato demand

Demand uptick

The sweet potato market has picked up steam in March, Meadows said.

“The mild winter that we have seen in North Carolina coupled with promotable volumes from our suppliers has yielded an uptick in demand across our East Coast customer base,” she said. “There is often a slump after New Year’s and a rebound as temperatures warm up, and that’s what we have seen this year.”

Sweet potatoes are a hearty, cheap source of calories and provide consumers with a full array of vitamins and nutrients, she said, adding that they are a perfect item to promote as an “inflation fighting” alternative to more processed foods.

Meadows said many Happy Dirt customers are wanting to purchase regional, local sweet potatoes due to the higher cost of product and freight out West. Sweet potatoes thrive in the Southeast, specifically in North Carolina. And, with its growers being able to meet the demand and offer competitive, sustainable pricing, North Carolina has become an attractive option, she said.

Easter promotions should spark sweet potato demand

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 14:25:51 GMT

Easter promotions should spark sweet potato demand this spring, says Robin Narron, marketing director and sales support for Nash Produce, Nashville, N.C.

“We do expect conditions to pick up going into the Easter holiday,” Narron said, noting that sweet potato movement can increase up to 20% during the Easter sales period.

Export sales are also a part of the demand equation.

Total U.S. sweet potato exports in 2022 totaled $148.1 million, down from $185.3 million in 2021. Exports have begun to pick up somewhat in 2023, Narron said.

“We are back in the regular swing of things,” she said.

Marketing outlook

Nash Produce has invested a lot of money in storage facilities, enabling the marketer to ship quality sweet potatoes year-round.

A couple of trends may help sweet potato demand this spring and summer, Narron said. With a slowing economy, consumers may be cautious about spending money to go out to eat. Instead, many will instead choose to eat at home.

Another trend is greater health-conscious consumption during the first few months of 2023, as consumers pay closer attention to the things they are eating and cooking at home.

“Sweet potatoes tend to do really good during that time,” she said.

The 2023 harvest season is expected to run from about Labor Day through the beginning of November.

With storage supplies ample through to the fall, the transition to new crop supplies typically occurs about mid-October, she said.

“We typically try to start doing like our Thanksgiving orders with the new crop,” she said.

Nash Produce continues to focus on its value-added products, including tray packs, steamable bags and microwaveable individually wrapped sweet potatoes.

“We are focusing on improving those, making some changes with more sustainable films and trays,” she said.

North Carolina sweet potatoes are an ideal fresh option for consumers, says commission director

Fri, 24 Mar 2023 18:40:20 GMT

North Carolina sweet potatoes check all the boxes for today’s consumers, says Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission .

“The North Carolina sweet potato is one of the best values in the supermarket today,” she said. “Not only is it reasonably priced on its own, it’s incredibly priced when you factor in that it is one of the world’s top superfoods, it has tremendous shelf stability [when stored properly], it is incredibly versatile in how it may be prepared ... and it is packed with nutrients — almost any way you may serve it. Not all superfoods can make such a claim.”

Grainger said there are numerous ways that North Carolina sweet potatoes can be promoted at retail.

“It would be ideal for retailers to partner with us in how they promote and educate consumers as to the number of ways a sweet potato can be enjoyed, as well as help ensure that there are sweet potato value-add items in the produce and ready-to-eat sections of their stores,” she said.

Grainger said the commission welcomes the opportunity to partner more directly with the retail dietitians of retail chains across the nation.

“We have many resources to help them in communicating to their customers just how wonderful North Carolina sweet potatoes are for them and a number of ways [and tools] that they could use to communicate such messages,” she said.

Marketing efforts

The commission’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, and the group has been engaged in a number of activities, including:

Supported three virtual cookalongs with North Carolina culinary stars — each highlighting North Carolina sweet potatoes in a number of ways, including two specialty cocktails and three unique dishes including sweet potato salsa, sweet potato curry and a sweet potato puree — using the covington, bonita and purple majesty varieties. These endeavors were fundraisers for the Ripe for Revival Mobile Market programs, Grainger said.
In October, the commission had a booth at the SIAL Paris food show and shared the special qualities of the North Carolina sweet potato with over 200,000 international guests. The commission’s work was featured in the SIAL Paris digital magazine.
In November, the commission held its third annual FarmHER event where the group raised more than $12,100 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation. The event was the group’s second live auction. In total, the auctions have raised more than $22,000 for the Pretty in Pink Foundation, which supports uninsured and underinsured patients of breast cancer.
In connection with its FarmHER event, the commission also held its first Harvest Tour for national writers, editors and registered dietitians, each with unique specialty areas of focus: diabetes, retail grocery, runners/athletes, millennials, community health and beyond. “We showed these incredible professionals ‘All Things N.C. Sweetpotatoes’ from harvest and packing to shipping of sweet potatoes,” Grainger said. The tour introduced media to growers, top sweet potato breeders at North Carolina State University, sweet potato food scientists and innovators and others.
For National Sweetpotato Month, the commission launched a change.org petition to formally change the spelling of sweet potato to sweetpotato in the Associated Press Stylebook and all digital dictionaries. “This change follows the science and is meant to further distinguish the sweetpotato from the white Irish potato — as they are not part of the same botanical family and should not be confused as such,” Grainger said.
In March, the commission sponsored and presented at the Nutrition News Update conference in La Jolla, Calif. The conference is targeted to national food editors, writers and contributing registered dietitians of national health, fitness and lifestyle magazines, both print and digital.
Coming in April, the commission will be participating in the USDA trade mission to the Netherlands, as well as sponsoring a student culinary contest as the United Kingdom’s oldest culinary school, Westminster Kingsway Culinary College.
The commission will hold its statewide restaurant week May 5-14. “We will be challenging restaurants across the state the highlight and elevate the state’s vegetable and will tie it to a large social media campaign that is meant to benefit both the participating restaurants as well as the patrons who support them.”

North Carolina muscadine grape program offered by Happy Dirt

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:59:52 GMT

Happy Dirt , Durham, N.C., is offering an organic muscadine grape program.

With the organic muscadine grape program, Happy Dirt and Thomas Yates Baker III, one of the company’s North Carolina farmer-partners, are working to build awareness around the grape’s unique flavors, adaptability and health benefits, according to a news release.

The company’s organic muscadine season begins in August and runs through late September, the release said.

Baker has been growing organic muscadine grapes since 2009 and is one of a handful of organic muscadine grape producers in North Carolina, the release said. Baker has 600 vines of three fresh-market varieties: nesbitt, supreme and triumph. The nesbitt and supreme muscadine varieties are black (or red), and the triumph variety is bronze.

“When I was a kid, the scuppernong vine that granddaddy had produced these bronze grapes that I just thought were the sweetest things in the world,” Baker said in the release about one of the muscadine grape’s bronze varieties. “And much to my surprise, the triumph that we grow here, which is another bronze variety, is so much sweeter.”

The sweetness of fresh market muscadine varieties make them the perfect table grape, the release said.

“The two ways that I am most familiar with is, one, you just pop the grape in, chew it and spit out the seeds,” Baker said. “I prefer to find the stem scar on the grape, pop the pulp into my mouth, swallow the pulp whole, and throw away the husk.”

Muscadine grapes have incredible health benefits and are a sustainable and adaptable crop in the Southeast, Baker said.

“This was something I didn’t learn until much later in life,” Baker said. “I’ve always known they were delicious. I didn’t know how healthy they are.”

Muscadine grapes have more antioxidants than blueberries and other table grapes, the release said. The grapes are well-adapted to the South’s heat and humidity and resistant to most grapevine viruses, according to the release.

“It’s all about the dirt. And if you get that where it needs to be, then your fruit is going to be good,” Baker said.

For more information about Happy Dirt’s organic muscadine program, contact alex@happydirt.com.

North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission says retail efforts bear fruit

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 18:22:04 GMT

The North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission reports a smaller annual yield, down 20% to 30%, following a challenging growing and harvest season. On the heels of Thanksgiving, where sweetpotatoes play a prominent role, the commission reports acreage is slightly up.

North Carolina plays a vital role in the holiday, growing more than 60% of the country’s sweetpotatoes.

The commission said these changes in production and acreage are not uncommon, with volume movement both up and down in the past 10-plus years due to weather conditions, global markets, rising input costs, labor challenges and more.

“2023 and 2024 have proven to be challenging years for agriculture in North Carolina that have forced sweetpotato growers to make hard decisions to stabilize our industry,” Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission, said in a news release. “It isn’t any one factor causing these changes, or even market demand, as much a change in global markets and unpredictable weather events, but like every farmer, optimism remains, and our industry is making forward-looking investments in consumer research and retail programming to drive sales.”

The commission said it recently completed three retail pilot programs testing a variety of marketing strategies to promote sweetpotatoes outside of the seasonal holiday window. Programs included digital promotions, nutrition programming, produce manager education and in-store POS. The commission said this pilot program netted double-digit sales movement and it was part of a larger nine-month sales development program.

“While our supply may be reduced, our promotional efforts will not slow down. We are proud of the high quality sweetpotatoes we produce and stand behind the quality of our products and production practices that have made us the industry leader,” Rob Hill, president of the NCSC board of directors and co-owner of Tull Hill Farms, said in the release. “I believe these investments in retail programs and forward-looking marketing are proof that the NCSC and [North Carolina] sweetpotato growers stand ready to build a more sustainable industry and support continued education and consumption efforts that will help us develop better relationships and continued transparency in our supply chain so everyone can win.”

Farm Fresh Produce hires Oscar Avila in sweet potato sales

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:55:37 GMT

Farm Fresh Produce Inc. , Faison, N.C., has hired Oscar Avila as its lead salesman specializing in sweet potatoes .

He previously was at Market Brothers and Southern Produce in sales and logistics positions.

“I am full of energy,” he said in a news release. “I’m ready to take this company to the next level.”

Avila is a native of Goldsboro, N.C., and attended Barton College, Wilson, N.C.

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NC sweet potato growers expect good crop despite weather challenges

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:48:45 GMT

Despite a challenging season, North Carolina’s premium sweet potatoes are set to hit supermarket shelves and dinner tables in time for Thanksgiving and winter holidays.

“Between COVID-19 and crazy weather, 2020 has been a unique year,” said grower Brent Leggett, president of Leggett Farming Partnership , Nashville, N.C., and board president for the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission.

Though this year’s crop averaged seven to 10 days late, Leggett, who began harvesting Sept. 10, expects to be finished by early November.

Charlotte Vick, partner in Vick Family Farms , Wilson, N.C., said the cool, wet spring left sprouts slow to mature, delaying planting. Summer brought long periods of drought followed by excessive rainfall, which also slowed down the maturing crop.

“By mid-September, a lot of growers still hadn’t begun harvest,” said Vick, who began harvesting Aug. 15. Yields seem to be smaller than last year, she said, which could be attributed to the tough growing season.

“It’s been a very wet season, to say the least,” said Steven Ceccarelli, CEO of Farm Fresh Produce , Faison N.C., which began harvesting Aug. 24.

“With a late start, only time can tell how much yield/acreage is lost due to wet spots in the field,” Ceccarelli said.

“But quality seems good with very little pest damage. Last year’s crop is very thin, but Farm Fresh is still fulfilling orders for loyal customers.”

So far, the fall weather has been cooperating, Vick said, and quality is excellent.

“We just keep praying we don’t get any more hurricanes come our way in October.”

Demand has been surprisingly good, she said, especially since summer is normally a slower time.

“This season we kept a good steady demand all summer long.”

Despite abnormally cool temperatures for late September, Nash Produce , based in Nashville, is still on schedule for a successful harvest, said Rebecca Scott, grower accounting and marketing director.

As for last year’s crop, most of it has already been packed out, said Leggett.

“There’s still some old crop being packed as the new crop is being cured,” he said, “but I think everything will balance out just fine.”

Vick said supply went a little longer than last season due to a larger 2019 harvest.

As expected, COVID-19 has placed a great deal of pressure on the sweet potato industry, shutting down foodservice and processors. Retail is the one shining light as people stay home and shutdowns continue.

“Thankfully, we have a solid retail customer base that has moved a lot of sweet potatoes during these uncertain times,” Vick said.

Domestic market movement remains strong, said Ceccarelli, with opportunities available thanks to government-assisted programs. But with the holidays approaching, nobody knows how family gatherings and travel will turn out.

“Foodservice seems to have picked up as states open up and allow people to go out to eat,” he said, “and processing in North America remains steady compared to past years, though prices appear to be falling.”

Coupled with the drop in foodservice sales, growers have experienced numerous supply chain bottlenecks, said Michelle Grainger, new executive director for the Benson-based North Carolina SweetPotato Commission.

“Like everyone else, we wish we could identify the challenges still to come,” Grainger said, “but we do know that eating healthy superfoods, such as the sweet potato, is of great interest to consumers.”

People in quarantine at home are keen to know where their food comes from and how to creatively prepare it, she said. “Those interests can only help serve our producers and industry going forward.”

At retail, Vick sees a transition to reusable packaging including RPCs, while microwavable potatoes and steamer bags have been flying off shelves.

Sweet potato tray packs appear to be the hottest new value-added product. Vick is launching a 4-count tray pack in November, while Nash Produce has already seen a positive response to its new 3- and 4-count trays, the latest addition to its popular Mr. Yam line.

“Tray packs are convenient, allowing customers to quickly select pre-washed, U.S. No. 1 sweet potatoes for a family or larger group,” said Scott.

Vick said packaged sweet potatoes help move more product compared to consumers buying one or two loose items, and pre-packaged items work better for online shopping and home delivery boxes, which have become the norm with COVID-19.

Overseas, where Farm Fresh ships 90% of its crop, Ceccarelli said European Union movement remains strong for anyone who still has old crop inventory available.

Vick, whose family ships 50% of its crop into the EU, Canada and Mexico, believes export sales are stronger than domestic sales because as more areas of the world develop and become wealthier, they want to add this U.S. superfood to their diets, “which is certainly good for our industry.”

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Dorian spares growers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:13:53 GMT

For U.S. produce growers, the bark of Hurricane Dorian was worse than its bite.

Hurricane Dorian caused minimal damage to growers in the Carolinas, Florida and the Eastern seaboard, several industry sources said.

After a close swing by Florida, the hurricane made landfall Sept. 6 at Cape Hatteras, N.C. While inflicting great damage and killing dozens in the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, Dorian was classified as Category 1 hurricane when it made landfall in North Carolina, with 1-minute sustained winds of 90 miles per hour.

“We were quite worried with the storm approaching with great strength that we had already activated our crisis team should the need arise,” Kelly McIver, executive director of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission , said in an email.

While the commission was still gathering data on Sept. 12, she said so far they have found “minimal effect” on the sweet potato crop.

Flooding of fields did not generally occur with Dorian, said Rhonda Garrison, executive director of the North Carolina Corn Growers Association, Raleigh, N.C.

While some corn was blown down near the coast, Garrison said most sweet corn growers were far enough inland that they were not affected. North Carolina sweet corn growers can sell their crop until frost, she said, and plant in increments throughout the season.

“If you are west of Interstate 95, you hardly even got rain, much less any storm damage,” she said. “For what it could have been, we got off lucky,” she said.

Trey Miller, chief operations officer for Melon 1 , Punta Gorda, Fla., said the company had a fall watermelon crop in St. Helena Island, S.C. A storm surge from Hurricane Florence hurt watermelon output there last year, but this year that wasn’t a problem with Dorian.

“The wind broke some leaves, but nothing they can’t come out of,” he said. That deal should start Sept. 20 and continue through late October. The company also has a watermelon deal in Barnwell, S.C. that was beginning harvest in mid-September, with no damage from the storm. Production in Florida avoided the storm entirely, Miller said.

“We got really fortunate; we have a big fall crop in South Florida and nothing happened there,” he said.

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Sweet potato marketer Farm Pak celebrates 50th year

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:17:25 GMT

Farm Pak Products Inc., Spring Hope, N.C., is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

The company, which markets sweet potatoes for Barnes Farming Corp., was strictly a conventional sweet potato seller when Carson Barnes established it in 1969, pioneering sales of the vegetable on the East Coast. Now the company sells watermelons and organic and value-added sweet potato products, including microwaveable wrapped sweet potatoes, according to a news release.

Different varieties, including Evangeline and Murasaki, are also in the Farm Pak lineup.

“As the company kept growing in size and became more and more successful, our packing facility demands increased until we couldn’t accommodate our orders,” Jose Calderon, sales manager, said in the release.

The company now has four packing lines to pack to customer specifications, and temperature-controlled space to hold palletized sweet potatoes to ensure quality, Calderon said.

Josh Barnes, storage and greenhouse manager, represents the third generation at Farm Pak.

Johnny Barnes, who became president in 2012, said the company ships to international markets, with the top markets in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The company plans to redesign its website — www.farmpak.com — and logo in the “near future,” according to the release.

Labor issues, pandemic pose challenges for North Carolina sweet potato growers

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:28:04 GMT

Growing sweet potatoes is a labor-intensive business from start to finish, and COVID-19 has made it even harder.

“COVID has made it difficult to maintain a normal workforce,” said Steven Ceccarelli, CEO of Farm Fresh , Faison, N.C.

“We understand that difficult decisions have to be made in these uncertain times. With the shutdown of schools and places of business during the pandemic, some workers have had to stay home to care for their children. Others chose to stay home in an effort to protect the health of their elders.”

To ease the minds of employees and the general public, Farm Fresh teamed up with WYN Technologies, High Point, N.C., to outfit its sweet potato packing facility with a thermal imaging camera.

“This technology allows for quick detection of increased body temperature, thus providing us with insight into the health of our employees,” said Ceccarelli. “Employee retention has now leveled out.”

Grower Brent Leggett, president of Leggett Farming Partnership , Nashville, N.C., and a shareholder in Nash Produce, has also been taking extra precautions and following protocols to safeguard workers. But getting labor to start this year’s season proved a challenge.

“We’re fortunate we haven’t had any labor issues,” Leggett said. “Many of our workers have returned for years, and they didn’t have any problem, but new H-2A workers who required an interview or updated documents were delayed somewhat because some Mexican offices were closed due to COVID precautions.”

Michelle Grainger, executive director of the North Carolina SweetPotato Commission , said N.C. agriculture relies heavily on H-2A labor, and many sweet potato growers leverage the use of their labor by growing additional specialty crops.

“The biggest challenge we have faced this season is labor, most importantly good labor,” said Charlotte Vick, partner in Vick Family Farms , Wilson, N.C.

“We have a good team, but as you grow you need more of those good employees and finding them is difficult,” Vick said.

“No one wants to work the long hours that farming produce requires. It’s a struggle today to fill every position, and I see things getting worse.”

The only solution she sees is mechanization, which isn’t always ideal.

“Mechanical harvesting bruises the sweet potatoes, therefore you don’t get the best quality when you pack them,” she said.

“With our soil type, and from what we have seen, mechanical harvesting does not work well here in N.C.,” Vick said. “Hopefully in the future it will be perfected.”

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Carolina market adapts in light of COVID-19

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:41:55 GMT

Marketing the spring harvest and stored produce of the Carolinas isn’t the same game these days.

Some South Carolina growers who lost their customer base due to COVID-19 quarantine closures have pivoted from foodservice customers to direct-to-consumer business, and the state department of agriculture is helping this effort.

On the website , growers can offer their delivery, on-farm pickup, CSAs and other shopping options during this time of social distancing.

“We’ve seen a huge demand in that direct-to-consumer sales model, so that’s a way for food suppliers to pivot, and that’s been encouraging,” said Katie Pfieffer, the department’s director of merchandising.

Instead of a lot of in-store promotions and samplings for watermelon and other crops, as well as Certified South Carolina Grown produce, this summer, marketing specialists are working to drive demand through websites and social media by posting South Carolina grower and chef recipes and preparation tips.

For South Carolina peaches, the agriculuture department is going the way of digital ads on radio, TV and e-mail blasts, using a message that emphasizes the health benefits of peaches, said Kyle Tisdale, marketing specialist and executive director of the South Carolina Peach Council.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture is doing all it can to promote local and state-grown fresh produce, said G.W. Stanley, assistant director for retail and foodservice, as well as “Got to Be NC” brand manager.

Foodservice wholesalers have had a 60% to 70% cut in business, he said.

North Carolina’s biggest crops based on cash receipts are sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries and tomatoes, according to the National Agricultural Statistical Services.

At Jackson Farming Co ., Autryville, N.C., demand for the state’s 2019 sweet potatoes in storage is off due to COVID-19-induced shutdown of the foodservice industry, where as much as 40% of the company’s sweet potatoes would normally be sold, said Matt Solana, vice president of operations and supply chain.

Solana expects North Carolina broccoli, running May 15 through June, to face a low market also, as it’s on almost all restaurant and school menus.
“This should start to improve as the economy opens back up,” Solana said.

Demand for the company’s watermelon from Florida has been good so far, with somewhat lower f.o.b. prices than normal, but he is optimistic as the melon crop gets undeway in Georgia and North Carolina.

Demand for the organic blueberries from Coosaw Farms , based in Fairfax, S.C., grows steadily every year but it’s taken a bit of a hit this year, said owner Bradley O’Neal.

“I think stores are limited on what they can put out,” O’Neal said, but as businesses re-open, the market for “organics will rise again.”

While retail potato sales have stayed steadily 50% higher than normal after the initial “tremendous” spike in most retail products, almost nonexistant foodservice and wholesale sales have been slowly improving the past couple weeks, said Greg Cardamone, general manager of the vegetable business of L&M Cos. , Raleigh, N.C.

“Probably because there’s a bit more restaurant activity, and we’re slowly seeing wholesale companies and foodservice companies ordering more products than in the previous week,” Cardamone said May 7.

But sales of restaurant-specific items such as larger-sized squash that chefs slice and the tomatoes and onions restaurants use for sandwiches are still “struggling,” Cardamone said.

To move some of the unsold product meant for foodservice customers, L&M has been able to contract with Feeding Florida, a food bank network, to make mixed-produce boxes.

The mixed boxes are more consumer friendly and eliminate the need for food bank volunteers to sort and repackage the produce.

“It has definitely helped us,” Cardamone said. “It’s been good for the farm and good for the consumer.”

Packaging

Jackson Farming’s North Carolina cantaloupe pack sizes have been getting smaller to fit the needs of retail partners.

In the past, a 24-inch bin of 110-count athena cantaloupes was the norm, and today the company is packing 18-inch bins, which hold 80 cantaloupes, and six-to-nine count cartons.

“The biggest challenge is moving the foodservice portion of our storage sweet potatoes, and we hope with the quarantines being lifted to some degree we will see a return of that business,” Solana said.

Other than sweet potatoes, most of Jackson Farming’s crops are sold in bulk, such as broccoli crowns, watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews and pumpkins, and Solana hasn’t seen any change in demand for packaged produce.

“However, it is interesting to note how plastic, up to a few months ago, had such a bad image, and today, due to COVID-19, it is once again riding high,” Solana said.

When restaurants first closed, many North Carolina wholesalers repackaged bulk items into smaller, more retail-oriented, consumer-friendly sizes.

“Another challenge is when things re-open: Getting it back from retail sizes to foodservice sizes. We’re kinda going around circles there,” Stanley said. “At the end of the day, we just want people to buy local.”

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Carolinas' crops looking good

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:41:55 GMT

Out with the strawberries, in with the blueberries — and melons, peppers, potatoes, squash, cabbage, leafy greens and cucumbers.

In the Carolinas, spring and summer produce is an edible rainbow. And the harvest is looking good, growers say.

“As far as rain totals go, we’re right on schedule with annual totals,” said Nick Augostini, assistant director of horticulture and field crops for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

“We had a couple late frosts in late April, which was very unusual.”

Some blueberry growers a few earlier varieties that were blossoming at the time, but later varieties are fine, he said.

Thunderstorms and cooler temperatures also delayed planting in the Carolinas, but the harvest volumes are looking up, especially for sweet potatoes, which increase in popularity every year and are a favorite during the pandemic, possibly for their hardiness and affordability, along with sweet taste, growers and marketers say.

Volume usually peaks mid-June for South Carolina and mid-July for North Carolina, said Eric Bolesta, who sells Carolina cabbage, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplants and hot peppers for Grower Network , Lake Park, Ga.

Overall, spring and summer crop volume should be about 3% to 5% up, which is not much different from other years, Augostini said.

In 2019, North Carolina produced 2.2 billion pounds of sweet potatoes, 37.5 million pounds of blueberries, 185 million pounds of cucumbers, 190 million pounds of watermelon, 61 million pounds of bell peppers, 64 million pounds of summer squash, and almost 80 million pounds of pumpkins, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

In 2019, South Carolina produced 127.5 million pounds of peaches, 161.3 million pounds of watermelon, according to the USDA statistics service.

South Carolina had a great strawberry season with strong supply, thanks to good weather, and now it’s onto the state’s top-producing crops for late spring and summer: blueberries, peaches, melons, leafy greens, tomatoes and green onions, said LauraKate McAllister, South Carolina Department of Agriculture marketing specialist and executive director of the South Carolina Specialty Crop Growers Association.

Intermittent heavy rainstorms and winds have damaged some taller crops and led to diseases on tomatoes, McAllister said, but the warm and sunny days afterward have dried up excess water quickly.

Peach harvest began May 1 with volume looking good enough to last through August and a fine size, said Kyle Tisdale, South Carolina Department of Agricutlture marketing specialist and executive director of the South Carolina Peach Council.

“Strawberries moved really well, and we’re hoping peaches will piggyback on that trend,” Tisdale said.

L&M Cos., Raleigh, N.C., will have more product for summer because of more volume at its North Carolina and New Jersey farms, said Greg Cardamone, general manager of L&M’s vegetable business.

Squash will start shipping by the end of May, which is about a week later than the past two seasons, which were unusually warm, he said.

“Everything else is pretty much on time, no big growing issues,” Cardamone said.

That includes shipping volume for cucumbers to start about June 10, bell peppers in late June, North Carolina sweet onions and broccoli by the end of May, red and yellow potatoes around June 20 and North Carolina watermelons July 5.

L&M has vegetable farms in Florida, Georgia and New Jersey to offer product for longer windows of time, before and after the Carolina seasons.

For the first time, L&M’s onion grower, Flatland Ag Inc. in Beauford County, N.C., planted 90 acres of potatoes this year, Cardamone said.

Coosaw Farms, Fairfax, S.C., produces more than 2 million pounds of conventional and organic blueberries a year, and this year shouldn’t be different, said Bradley O’Neal, owner.

However, good chill hours on the conventional crop will increase volume and make the start a week to 10 days early at April 6, almost matching the organic blueberry crop, which had lackluster pollination and decreased volume, he said.

On May 5, O’Neal said they were shipping about two tractor-trailer loads of blueberries a day.

Watermelon is the other big crop for Coosaw Farms. Along with the larger-sizing crop from Florida, watermelons grown in South Carolina should be shipping June 1 through July.

Coosaw Farms has started planting and setting up the framework for tunnel growing systems to add blackberries for the first time to next year’s offerings.

Jackson Farming Co ., Autryville, N.C., is planting more sweet potato acreage according to plan because year over year, demand increases, said Matt Solana, vice president of operations.

Some spring planting was delayed because of hot and cold temperatures and rain, but crews have caught up, he said.

The company’s spring broccoli is starting to size up as harvest approached in mid-May, and will run through the first week of June, he said. Fall broccoli should be available November through December.

As far as melons, Solana said, “we’re planting like crazy. They’re looking great, as are the transplants on watermelons, ‘lopes and ‘dews.”

The Autryville farm’s first harvest on seedless and seeded watermelons is estimated for the last week of June, with seedless through the end of September and seeded through mid-August. Cantaloupe should run mid-June to mid-August, and honeydews the first week of July through the first week to middle of August.

Pumpkins at the company’s Edenton, Ennice, Sparta and Autryville farms will be planted in July with harvest from September through mid-October.

All in all, Carolina crops are doing fine.

“North Carolina produce is on track for another good season, the quality overall so far is excellent and we’re looking forward to a little bit more demand as things open up,” Cardamone said. “We’re on go. We’re ready.”

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N.C. ports increase refrigerated capacity as perishable demand grows

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:00:04 GMT

The North Carolina State Ports Authority set a new record for refrigerated container volume.

The organization reported ports moved 1,459 refrigerated containers — 2,918 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) — in April.

Even with the pandemic, N.C. ports continue to experience a “healthy flow” of refrigerated cargoes; the largest refrigerated import is bananas , according to a news release. Fiscal year 2020 (July-April) volumes are up 20% over the previous year, and annual growth from FY2014-19 is up 225%, according to N.C. Ports.

“It has long been North Carolina Ports’ goal to become one of the premier cold ports for shippers and these numbers are evidence of that mission,” Paul Cozza, executive director of North Carolina Ports, said in the release. “Additionally, our record-setting April highlights our expanding perishables portfolio as we have quadrupled refrigerated container volume over the last five years.”

The Port of Wilmington is seeing import and export demand increase during the pandemic.

“To support this growth, we are making the necessary investments to improve and expand our capabilities which in turn will benefit the North Carolina agriculture industry, the state’s grocery sector and additional cold chain users,” Hans C.E. Bean, North Carolina Ports chief commercial officer, said in the release.

A new refrigerated container yard opened in April at the Port of Wilmington, a $14 million project that increased on-terminal refrigerated container plugs from 235 to 775.

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Michelle Grainger takes reins of NC SweetPotato Commission

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:55:41 GMT

The North Carolina SweetPotato Commission has named Michelle Grainger its new executive director.

Grainger is known to the North Carolina agriculture industry, coming from the North Carolina State University Executive Farm Management Program, where she was managing director, focusing on recruitment, fundraising, marketing and curriculum management.

She was also managing director at the Center for Innovation Management Studies at the university.

“I am excited to join one of the state’s oldest and largest commodity groups and very much look forward to helping our members and their operations grow while providing value to our consumers and the state’s top industry,” Grainger said in a news release.

One of her passions is advocacy for agriculture, which she leverages for her approach to marketing, promotion and communications, according to the release. At NCSU, she used social media, field days, commodity association meetings and farm visits to promote agriculture.

“The strong partnerships the (North Carolina SweetPotato Commission) has built over the years across our state and country – much less internationally, can be attributed to the incredible leadership and vision of the pioneers of this industry which has been carried through to today,” Grainger said in the release.

In December, Grainger delivered a TEDx Talk , sharing the importance of agriculture and farmers, with a message that without them, the U.S. would not have the national security it provides.

“Michelle has extensive experience working with and for farmers,” Brent Leggett, commission board president, said in the release. “We could not be more excited to add Michelle to our executive team as we continue to expand to meet the needs of our members and consumers alike.”

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USDA cites North Carolina company for PACA Violations

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:51:44 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on First Fruits Holdings LLC, doing business as Four Rivers Onion Packing, (First Fruits), Wake Forest, N.C., for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

These sanctions include barring the business and the principal operators of the business from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

First Fruits failed to pay $363,070 to five sellers for produce that was purchased, received and accepted in interstate and foreign commerce from November 2016 to July 2018. This is in violation of the PACA. First Fruits cannot operate in the produce industry until Oct. 26, 2022, and then only after they apply for and are issued a new PACA license by USDA.

The company’s principals, John Fowler, Mark Black, and Sean Swanson may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until Oct. 26, 2021, and then only with the posting of a USDA approved surety bond.

USDA is required to publish the finding that a business has committed willful, repeated and flagrant violations of PACA as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.

By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace.

For further information, contact Corey Elliott, Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or PACAInvestigations@usda.gov.

The Packer’s PACA Coverage

PACA: Southern Produce Distributors owes $3.49 million

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:05:37 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed an administrative complaint against sweet potato company Southern Produce Distributors , Faison, N.C., alleging the company failed to pay $3.49 million to produce sellers.

The USDA filed the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act complaint after the company failed to pay 34 produce sellers from April 2017 to June 2018. Southern Produce Distributors declared bankruptcy in 2018, but emerged from restructuring.

The USDA announced the PACA action June 20, the same day it issued a news release on another North Carolina sweet potato company, Wayne Bailey Produce (and Wayne Bailey Inc.), saying the companies owed creditors more than $8.1 million.

Growers in North Carolina and other southern states saw significant fall crop losses when Hurricane Florence damaged production, followed by Hurricane Michael.

Southern Produce Distributors can request a hearing to contest the PACA action, but if the USDA confirms the PACA allegations, the company’s principals could be barred from doing business with PACA licensees for up to 3 years.

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